ICSEW Member Makes History

Congratulations to one of our committee members and Executive Secretary for ICSEW, Kristin Ramos.  Kristin, who works at the Department of Commerce, recently made history becoming one of the first two female officers to be commissioned in the Washington State Guard.  Isabelle Molamphy, with the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), was the other female officer commissioned at the May 6 ceremony.  The commissioning was following a 23-month Officer Candidate School (OCS) program patterned after the OCS program at Fort Benning.
Second Lieutenant Ramos will report to the civil affairs branch of the Guard, where she will help train new and experienced soldiers. She has prior education and experience teaching, so the seeming incongruity of teaching something recently learned is not new to her. Quoting the famous educational aphorism, she says, “To teach is to learn twice.”
The Washington State Guard supports the National Guard in responding to disasters and other Governor-declared incidents. When not activated, members are not paid for training, uniforms or travel. The Washington State Guard traces its history back to 1855 when the Washington Territorial Legislature enacted the first law creating the organized militia. After Washington became a state, it created a state militia in 1890.